Gary,
Dr. Curry’s statement is misleading from the perspective that the sea ice is pretty much exactly where it was on March 18th, and so really hasn’t “continued to increase”. It simply hasn’t started it’s spring melt yet. The the only two major areas that are showing a significant greater than average extent (the Bering and Okhotsk) are pretty much exactly where they were. The most accurate thing to say is the spring melt hasn’t really started yet, but the NH Sea ice certainly hasn’t continued to increase since March 18th as it is pretty much right where it was after having declined a bit after that date and then come back up a bit.
And again, this short-term late season bump up in the Bering and Okhotsk is of course very thin ice, which will melt rapidly once melt season really starts,